GPs and Diabetes

General Practitioners continue to be a diabetic patient’s primary source of care; they are required to complete a full medical review upon diagnosis taking into account any other medical problems.

GPs and Primary Care Teams

They are also the key to ensuring all necessary members of the primary care team are informed and up to date on each patient’s progress both verbally and in writing.

Initial course treatments

Arguably more significantly, they are also required to instigate an initial course of treatment and review these annually incorporating any developments and lifestyle changes of the patient.

In addition it is the GP’s role to ensure any referrals made to external bodies abide to locally agreed criteria and are timely and appropriate.

Specialist nurses

In many cases the GP is also partly responsible for the care provided by the specialist nurses and therefore has to be satisfied with their competence and knowledge of their specialised forte including diabetes.